(2709) Sagan

Named in honor of Carl Sagan {1934–1996}, planetary scientist at Cornell University. He has been active on a number of planetary space missions, including the Mariner 9 and Viking missions to Mars and the Voyager mission to the outer planets. Sagan’s research has included studies of the greenhouse effect on Venus, windblown dust on Mars, the atmosphere and surface of Titan, and the possibility of extraterrestrial intelligent life. He has been editor of the journal Icarus and won the 1978 Pulitzer prize for literature. A leading popularizer of astronomy, Sagan is founder of the Planetary Society. (M 7158)